Detour tests reveal task- and stimulus-specific behavioral lateralization in mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki).
We studied detour responses of male mosquitofish faced with a vertical-bar barrier through which a group of females was visible. Mosquitofish showed a consistent population bias to detour the barrier preferentially leftwise when a straight barrier was used, whilst the asymmetry disappeared if a U-shaped barrier was used. The leftward bias was apparent even when using a simulated-predator as a target (which induced detour behaviour for predatory-inspection responses), but not when using an empty environment or a group of males as a target. Moreover, when faced with an opaque barrier, mosquitofish tended to turn on their right side. These lateral biases could be accounted for in terms of a right eye preference during lateral (monocular) fixation of any stimulus of interest, suggesting functional lateralization in a teleost species for the analysis of visual information.
Bisazza
A
A
Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, Università di Padova, Italy. bisazza@psico.unipd.it
Pignatti
R
R
Vallortigara
G
G
D000818:Animals; D003532:Cyprinodontiformes / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005403:Fixation, Ocular / Q000502:physiology; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000502:physiology; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*